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The new Violence Against Women Act, which will be signed into law by President Obama today, will include additional requirements about colleges’ prevention of and response to sexual assault. The inclusion of preventative education in the law is one of the more striking and important additions, according to NPR’s Morning Edition. As many remember, the addition of preventative healthy sexuality education is one of the central goals of ASC, and has been improved at Haverford in the recent years. Other tenets of the new law include the requirement that colleges provide additional resources to survivors of sexual violence. So, is Haverford doing enough (check out the revamped Sexual Misconduct resource page for more info)? What else could and should the college do, now that these requirements are clearly outlined in both Title IX and VAWA?

Gather with us as we reflect on our experiences of learning and healing and our hopes for the future as we move forward from Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Feel free to bring poems, stories, and any other thoughts that have come up during the past few weeks.

Tonight Allied Students for Consent will be hosting Azucena Ugarte, Education and Training Coordinator for Women Against Abuse in Philly, who will give a workshop on Intimate Partner Violence. The training will cover the different forms of abusive relationships, why abusive relationships are so hard to get out of, warning signs, and how to be a resource for a friend in need. Customsfolk, Quaker Bouncers, Rufus Jones leaders, and any students who want to prevent violence by being an active bystander are strongly encouraged to attend.

Tonight at 8pm in the Old Squash Courts, Allied Students for Consent brings you a walking tour of different short films and slam poetry centered around themes of rape culture and sexual violence, both at home and abroad. The different screenings will be followed by a short talk-back, where people can reflect on what they have seen.

Topics covered include sexual violence in South Africa, cultivation of healthy masculinity, slut-shaming, excusing campus rape through the old adage “boys will the boys, victim-blaming, portrayals of violence against women in the media, and the power of the word “no.” The various film clips are divided into “potentially triggering” and “less triggering,” and members of ASC will be on hand to guide visitors to their films of choice. So join us, for free condoms, information, and community dialogue about one of the critical issues on our campus and in our world!

*This event is part of a series presented in observance of Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

via Jezebel: BU’s newspaper shows once again that rape culture is alive and well with an April Fool’s Day “joke” story entitled “BROken egos: BU fraternity suspended for assaulting female student.” Because rape jokes are really super funny, bro.

With [recent cases of sexual assault on Boston University’s campus] in mind, it’s especially unfortunate and disheartening that some staff member thought it would be at best “timely” and at worst “hilarious” to make gangbang jokes about roofied sorority girls. Direct quote: “No one drinks like the BROs, no one shoots like the BROs and definitely no one rapes like the BROs.” YEP. We can’t make this shit up.

Note: This project will begin with the launch of RASA month on Wednesday.

In the Jewish tradition, it is customary to place a small stone on a gravesite in honor of the memory of the deceased. At the tree in front of the library, we honor the living survivors of rape and sexual assault. Their stories will not go unheard.

Leave a stone in support of the survivors in your life and in remembrance of those whose stories go untold. Stones are available by the tree, and will be visible for the month of April. The following poem is excerpted on the plaque by the stones:

A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL

For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours:

For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never returnand when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid

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Allied Students for Consent (ASC) brings together survivors and allies of all genders and sexualities. We seek to prevent sexual violence, promote a survivor-friendly environment, and foster healthy sexual attitudes on campus through awareness, dialogue, and education.